This volume examines the pervasive and persistent appropriations of the military orders across a broad chronology and several regions, including Mexico, Brazil, and Greece, areas beyond the traditional focus of prior research in medievalism. Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights, the military orders are among the most iconic aspects of the crusades and several still survive as chivalric honours or charitable organisations. In popular culture, the orders, particularly the Templars, have been the subject of or inspiration for films, books, television, and video games, from Star Wars to The Da Vinci Code and Assassin’s Creed. In this volume, an overview of the early legacies of the military orders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is followed by studies of the Templar conspiracy theories of Rosslyn Chapel, the Venerable Order of St John’s creation of a medieval past, the legacy of the Hospitallers in modern Greece, the military orders in nineteenth-century Mexico, and the use of the Knights Templar by the far-right in Bolsonaro’s Brazil. Ultimately, it expands the scope of the field and indicates further avenues for research. The Modern Memory of the Military-religious Orders is a valuable resource for students and scholars of the crusades, the military orders, and medievalism.

The beginning of the Templar Order is shrouded in mystery. Little is known about its foundation, inner workings, or its rapid growth. Such a lack of knowledge can lead to all sorts of speculation and, at times, bizarre theories. This book--the result of a conference on the theme at Emerson College in England--offers new, well-grounded perspectives that utilize both esoteric and exoteric sources. From varying perspectives, the contributors tackle key questions relating to the formation of the Templar Order, as well as its goals and intentions. The authors explore the spiritual and historical background of the Knights Templar, as well as the Order's significance today and its continuing impulse for the future. With its broad scope, this stimulating anthology encourages independent, open-minded enquiry and research. The Knights Templar features contributions from Peter Tradowsky, Gil McHattie, Horst Biehl, Margaret Jonas, Rolf Speckner, Sylvia Francke, Simon Cade-Williams, Jaap van der Haar, Alfred Kon, David Lenker, Peter Snow, Christine Gruwez, Frans Lutters, Walter Johannes Stein, and Siegfried Rudel.